House of Commons June 25, 2009 Hon. Lawrence Cannon Minister of Foreign Affairs House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6 Dear Minister Cannon, I am writing you this letter to express my serious concerns regarding the detention of Le Cong Dinh, Vietnamese lawyer and dissident writer arrested by Vietnam on 13 June 2009. Mr. Le Cong Dinh have been charged with ‘spreading propaganda against the state’ – an offence which carries up to twenty years in prison. In the process, his home and office were searched and his documents were seized by the officials. The arrest of this individual fits a pattern of activities by the Hanoi government, intended to quash opposition to the regime. In recent years we have witnessed the detention of pro-democracy and human rights advocates in Vietnam including Father Nguyen Van Ly, then writer Tran Khai Thanh Thuy, lawyer Nguyen Van Dai, lawyer Le Thi Cong Nhan, lawyer Le Tran Luat and now lawyer Le Cong Dinh. Minister, I request that you voice Canada’s concerns regarding Vietnam’s treatment of political dissidents and call upon Vietnam to immediately and unconditionally release Mr. Le Cong Dinh in accordance with Article 19 of the United Nations International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights to which Vietnam is a signatory. Sincerely, Paul Dewar, M.P. Ottawa Centre _________________________________________________________ www.vietfederation.ca   more »